Secrets
by Optional
Summary: Finally updated! New title, new update! HP/SS. Harry gains a sister after circumstances force him and pansy together, his secret is discovered after a move to save the man he loves, and two people who so desprately need love are brought together.
1. Chapter One

_Eventual HP/SS. platonic HP/PP. Harry gains a new family when over the summer he is forced to live with someone. He falls for Severus, fights Voldemort, adopts a sister, becomes a godfather, kills Voldemort, and perhaps there will be a sappy happy ending..._

Chapter One: I'm an idiot.

Pansy smirked as she cast the last spell to complete her devious scheme. In ten minutes, her best friend would begin practicing with his non-school friends in the Room of Requirement. He and his friends had a sort of music band, a rock band to be more precise. They were amazing, his vocals awesome.  
She had tried numerous times to convince him to apply for the position of Music Entertainer for the school dances and balls, but he had blushed and refused. She knew his self-confidence in regards to his musical talent was almost non-existent, but she knew the truth. With everything happening in the War against Voldemort, he needed to cut loose and enjoy himself more.

Now the entire school would hear how awesome he was, and he wouldn't even know it...at least not until he was approached by the Headmaster about the job. She sat down at the Slytherin table and waited. In a few moments, everyone eating in the Great Hall would hear the practice session. It was lunch on a Saturday, so nearly the entire school was there in the Great Hall. He always sneaked away to play at this time, because it was so disorganized and crowded, no one noticed he was gone. She could hardly sit still as she waited. She knew he would probably be mad at her for a while, but he could never stay angry at her too long, and she was confident he'd be pleased at the end.

The music started and a few beats later, his voice started singing the words written by his fellow band member.

_'Breaking my back just to know your name  
Seventeen tracks and I've had it with this game  
I'm breaking my back just to know your name  
But heaven ain't close in a place like this  
Anything goes but don't blink you might miss  
Cause heaven ain't close in a place like this  
I said heaven ain't close in a place like this  
Bring it back down, bring it back down tonight  
Never thought I'd let a rumour ruin my moonlight'  
_  
The entire hall went quiet, and the professors exchanged confused glances. Pansy barely contained a squeal of excitement. The students at the table looked confused, but the music was still playing and many of them could not stop their bodies from moving to the song.

_'Well. somebody told me  
You had a boyfriend  
Who looks like a girlfriend  
That I had in February of last year  
It's not confidential  
I've got potential.'_

Pansy laughed at the lyrics, and cheered as more students began dancing and moving their heads. She herself had not heard this song yet, but she was enjoying it and could tell that even the strict Minerva McGonagall was liking it, although you had to look very closely to see it.

_'Ready? Let's roll onto something new  
Taking its toll and I'm leaving without you  
Ready? Let's roll onto something new  
But heaven ain't close in a place like this  
Anything goes but don't blink you might miss.' _

It always amazed her how his voice could change to make each song different and exciting. He could sound like....she fought to remember the names of the Muggle singers he had exposed her to...oh, yes, Rod Stewart one minute, and Nickleback the next, or switch from Aerosmith to Tim McGraw.  
_  
'Cause heaven ain't close in a place like this  
I said heaven ain't close in a place like this  
Bring it back down, bring it back down tonight  
Never thought I'd let a rumour ruin my moonlight.'_

The only professor not smiling and enjoying the song was, unsurprisingly, the Potions Mas ter, Severus Snape. At least, as far as his expression and demeanor went, he seemed highly resentful at the interruption to his lunch. Of course, no one could tell that behind his glaring black eyes, he was entranced, not by the song itself, but by the voice singing it.

_'Well somebody told me  
You had a boyfriend  
Who looks like a girlfriend  
That I had in February of last year  
It's not confidential  
I've got potential  
A rushin', a rushin' around.'_

Pansy was quite enjoying herself, and knew that eventually, her best friend would be happy, too.

_'Pace yourself from me  
I said maybe baby please  
But I just don't know now_

Somebody told me  
You had a boyfriend  
Who looks like a girlfriend  
That I had in February of last year  
It's not confidential  
I've got potential  
A rushin', a rushin' around'

The song was over and Pansy stood and cheered, along with the three nonSlytherin houses. Even McGonagall clapped a few times, while Dumbledore and Flitwick applauded most enthusiastically, much to the disgust of Snape. Flitwick made quite the picture, clapping, a large grin on his face, jumping up and down in his seat.  
The roar of the crowd was deafening, so much so that Pansy had to cover her ears. She felt very proud of herself. Of course, she would have to make sure everyone knew who was singing, but that would be of minimal trouble.  
She was feeling very smug, until, that is, she, and everyone in the Great Hall, heard the singers start talking.

"Hey, Harry, man, that was great. I had no idea it would sound so good when I wrote it." a male voice said, speaking in an awed, and pleased, tone.

A deep, spine shivering, delicious male voice laughed. "I'm glad I was able to sing well enough for you. How on earth, though, did you come up with those lyrics?" Harry asked.

"It just came to me when we were practicing 'When I'm Gone'. Do you think that it'll go over well with the fans?"

Another voice, that was neither Harry nor the song writer, answered. "Of course it will, Jory. And even if it doesn't, who cares? The chicks will still dig us!"

Harry laughed again. "Please, Alan, the chicks have never "dug" you. You guys are only scammed on by penguins and mutts. And I don't know about you, but I don't think that's very flattering," he said, the smirk showing in his voice.

Alan spoke again. "Well, are we on for the meeting tonight?" he asked, his voice suddenly serious.

"Yes, of course. Tonight is the only night we can do it. We go into tonight, like planned," Jory answered.

"Does everyone remember their parts?" Harry asked.

A new voice spoke up. "Yes, Lord, Harry, we remember. I'll take the kid while Jory and Alan take care of the parents."

The Great Hall was now quiet, with everyone staring around and at each other. The turn of the conversation and the tones of voices were making them nervous as the band's plans were reviewed.

"Very good, Trisk. Remember, after you've taken care of the prats, join me upstairs. You can all have a go at her once I'm finished beating her," Harry told them.  
Everyone in the Great Hall gasped, and Pansy's face paled as she realized how the conversation sounded to the unknowing body of students and professors. It sounded as if they were planning a violent attack, and she hurriedly tried to end the spell which allowed the band's conversation to be broadcast.

"AWESOME! I've been waiting to beat that bitch. It's been driving me crazy since she first crucified me!" Jory said, the excitment clear in his voice.

"I'm going to teach the bitch a lesson; NO ONE FUCKS WITH ME AND GETS AWAY WITH IT.." Harry said vehemently.

Pansy was panicking. It was looking worse and worse for her friend, and now she wasn't so sure Harry would be so forgiving. She waved her wand and finally remembered the correct pronunciation of the counter spell, and the Great Hall shrouded in silence.

Almost immediately, the Hall's occupants broke out into loud chattering, each person turning to the next to speculate about what they had just heard. "Harry Potter's going to beat up a girl!" "I thought he was above such a thing!" "How could he be so..so..so evil?" "How dare he hit a woman! and then let his friends take a swing at her!" "I always knew he was evil! He's probably in cahoots with You-Know-Who!"

Pansy's face turned red. She had just made her best friend look like an evil asshole, fueling the rumors that still circulated, however quietly, about the Boy-Who-Lived. Harry was never going to forgive her for this. He had never been able to stay angry at her for long, but this was beyond anything she had ever done before, and she didn't know how he would handle being on the school's bad side again.  
TBC

AN: First chapter of story number one hundred. I've started many stories, but I feel this one has more potential than others. I don't know if I will post this or not. I guess if you'r reading this, then I did post it, eh? Review, please, just don't demand I post more immediately, lol. I can't sleep when I've got nightmares about angry fans burning down my house and chasing me with pitchforks shudder. Anyway, I hope you enjoy.

Song is 'Somebody Told Me' by The Killers. Don't ask me what relevance that song has to the fic, because there really isn't any. I've just had that song in my head for a week or so and had to write my favourite Gryffindor-Should-Have-Been-Slytherin singing it.

TBC

The story title of this fic is Latin and means 'To Love and to Protect."

This chapter is a reposting. My new beta was kind enough to edit it for me. says to beta Merci beaucoup!


	2. Meet your Roomate

Chapter 2 – Roommates

Harry felt free and exhilarated, as he always did after a practice with the guys. It was the only time he felt that way. Not even flying gave him the freedom and relief from the realities of life that his music did.  
He was grateful he had discovered music when he had. It had given him the break he needed to keep sane, and had been what brought him and Pansy together. He would be forever grateful to whatever God had brought Pansy to him. She was his best friend and confidante, a rock he could lean on when he needed, and he was her rock.  
When he had found her that night in the Astronomy Tower, that first night of their new roomateship, he had been tempted to turn around and leave before the Slytherin saw him, but something made him stay. Something made him walk closer, and allowed him to see the tears on her cheeks and the anguish in her eyes.

He had sat down next to her and remained silent. She had stiffened, but had not moved away. "What do you want, Potter? I suppose you're going to run back to your little fans and tell them how Slytherin bitch Parkinson is up here bawling her eyes out like a Hufflepuff, eh?" she said bitterly.

Harry looked at her. "No,actually. Contary to popular Slytherin belief, I don't spend my time thinking up ways to humiliate you. I wouldn't tell anyone anything. Besides, who would believe me?"

She had snorted, but said nothing more, and he didn't try to make her talk. They just sat there together for a while longer, in a somewhat comfortable silence. Harry had known something was bothering the Slytherin girl, but he had no right to ask.

Harry grinned, and pulled himself from the memory of his and Pansy's first non-hostile encounter. He was hungry, and knew that there would still be people eating in the Great Hall, and so made his way there instead of the kitchens, his growling stomach propelling him forward at a quicker speed. All thoughts of food were pushed out of his mind, however, when he stepped into the Hall and it went deathly quiet. He frowned and his eyes narrowed suspiciously. 'What is it now?' he wondered, as angry, and even some hateful, glares were directed at him.  
"Now what's your problem?" he asked with a roll of his eyes, his voice echoing in the Hall.

A Ravenclaw stood up. "You are evil, you woman beater!" he yelled.

Harry was flabbergasted. "Excuse me?" He didn't even know how this rumor could have possibly been started. "I don't know what the bloody hell you're talking about. I have never in my life hit a woman."

"There's a first for everything! Going to 'beat that bitch and teach her no one fucks with you and gets away with it', are ya?" a Gryffindor sneered at him, his brow raised.

Harry frowned. That sounded somewhat familiar to him, but he didn't know why.

"And then let your friends take a turn at her?" a Hufflepuff asked.

Harry's eyes widened. He turned to the Slytherin table and saw Pansy try to slink away from the table and hide in the shadows. "PANSY! WHAT did you DO?" he demanded loudly, knowing that she must've been eavesdropping on his practice.

She slowly made her way over to him. "I'm sorry Harry. I just wanted everyone to hear how good you were, because you would've never done it yourself. I didn't know you would start talking about the game like that! And I couldn't remember the proper pronunciation for the counter spell!" she explained and finished with a wince, expecting him to start yelling. Instead, he started laughing.

"You are an idiot, Pans. I can't believe you would do this! You know I didn't want anyone to know about my music. And now they all think I beat up girls. Paaansy....I swear...." His voice had gone from laughing to angry to exasperation.

She blushed. "I really am sorry. I didn't intend for any of this to hurt you. I really wanted to help. I thought if you saw how much everyone loved your music, you would have some self confidence and would want to ...I don't know, accept the position of entertainer for the dances and balls." Harry sighed. "The road to hell is paved with good intentions," she pouted.

"I know, I know. Sheesh, why can't I ever stay angry at you? No wonder you're so damned spoiled." He smirked, and she returned it. He looked around the Great Hall, its occupants still staring at him.  
"I assure you, I have never hit a woman, and never intend to. If you don't want to take my word for it, which you never do, then go ahead and believe I'm a woman beater. I don't care." He turned and started toward the doors, stopping next to the Slytherin table, and snatching a buttered roll off Malfoy's plate. He grinned, took a bite from it, and continued on his way.

Pansy laughed. "That, ladies and gentlemen, was Harry Potter! Lead singer of his unnamed band!" She started clapping and walked out of the hall, still clapping, and ignoring the stares she was receiving.

Severus Snape, Potions Master extraordinaire, spy against Voldemort, most feared wizard of the century, terror of Gryffindor, head of Slytherin House, and Mr. in-Control was shocked. The voice singing belonged to Harry Potter, bane of his existence, Mr. I-Refuse-to-Die-and-You-Can't-Make-Me Potter?

Needless to say, he was surprised. 'Potter actually has some talent in something, after all. Who knew?' Severus watched the exchange between Potter and Parkinson with interest. It still boggled his mind how the two could possibly be friends. It blew him away each time that Parkinson meant so much to Potter that he would chose her over his two Gryffindor sidekicks.

Snape had thought in the very beginning it was a mistake to put a Slytherin and a Gryffindor in the same living space and expect them to survive it. But he had been amazed when they came out of it as best friends. By Harry's seventeenth birthday, he was ready to abandon his friends for her. Of course, it had been Weasley and Granger who had abandoned Harry, claiming him to be a traitor, but that didn't matter. When they had given him the choice between them and Pansy, Harry had replied without hesitation, Pansy. 'That'll be one birthday he'll never forget,' Severus thought idly, watching Harry and Pansy leave the hall.

Pansy walked next to Harry. "I'm glad you forgive me. I thought you would be angry for much longer," she said, letting him see how relieved she was. However, that feeling turned into extreme nervousness when Harry looked at her with a mischievous smirk and a glint in his eyes. "Whhhhhhat?" she asked, eyeing him suspiciously.

"I forgive you, but you're not off the hook yet, my Lady. My revenge will be sweet, and when you least expect it."

She gulped. "What are you planning? Come on, you wouldn't do anything too bad, right?" He just laughed, somewhat maniacally, not calming her fears in the least bit.

----------------------------

PAST(Three months earlier)

Cradling his broken arm, and limping on his broken ankle, a bloody and bruised, naked Harry Potter made his way into the bathroom across from his prison bedroom and locked the door. Although it was summer, Dumbledore was waiting downstairs, and his uncle was both livid and terrified. He had sent his wife up to get Harry cleaned up and presentable looking, however nearly impossible that would be, considering he had been more brutal than usual to his nephew last night.  
Petunia had left some clothes on the counter, along with a towel. He slowly fiddled with the water nozzles and then turned the shower on. He removed his glasses, and set them on top of his clothes. He moved slowly, each movement causing him immeasurable amounts of pain.

As soon as the hot water hit his skin, he fought to keep himself from screaming as the heated pressure pounded down on his bruised and sensitive skin. He lathered himself up as thoroughly as he could with the soap, taking this rare opportunity to try and cleanse his body of the filth his uncle had left. It was fruitless. No matter how much he scrubbed, he still felt as dirty as before. The only difference was he hurt more. Shampooing his hair was pure hell, as his right arm was broken, and his left shoulder was dislocated. He could hardly raise his arms to do the job. He washed the blood and dirt and grime from his hair, watching through blurred vision as the filth flowed down his body and mixed with the water at his feet, turning it a revolting shade of brown and red. He rinsed his hair, wincing as the water and shampoo stung the open wound on his head. After that, he was done. He wanted to stand under the hot spray and just enjoy it for a few minutes, but he knew he couldn't keep Dumbledore or his uncle waiting, or things would be worse for him later that night.

He dried off, and painfully pulled on the clothes. The itchy material of the hand-me-downs irritated his raw flesh and he felt like he was on fire. He pushed his glasses on and winced when he looked in the mirror. The entire right side of his face was swollen and bruised an ugly shade of purple and blue. He tried to use his hair to cover some of it, but there was no way he could keep it secret from the sharp and observant Dumbledore.

As he opened the door and made his way slowly down the hall and then down the stairs, he tried to come up with a cover story. When he finally made his way into the living room, Vernon was pale-faced and glaring hatefully at a seemingly oblivious Dumbledore, who was chatting away at a mute Petunia about the wonders of lemon drops.  
"Sorry I took so long, Headmaster," Harry said softly.

Dumbledore stopped and looked at Harry, his blue eyes twinkling merrily and smiled. "Not at all, my boy. Your aunt is quite the conversationalist! We were just discussing lemon drops." His smile dimmed though, when he noticed the swollen and discolored side of Harry's face. "My boy! What on earth happened to you?" he asked, standing up and stepping towards him.

Harry smiled as much as his face would allow and attempted to reassure his Headmaster. "I'm fine, Headmaster. I got into a fight with some guys down the street and I took a few hits. Nothing to worry about," he said.

Dumbledore nodded and 'hmm'd' but smiled. "Oh, well, alright then. Though, you really shouldn't be getting into fights," he said, but continued on before Harry could argue. "I've come, Harry, because I decided you might like to enjoy spending the rest of your summer at Hogwarts, with the staff. I know it might be a little boring without your friends, but you're a creative boy. I'm sure you could find something to do to occupy yourself."

Harry stared at him incredulously. Inside he was churning, in a state of disbelief. 'You've got to be kidding me. You're lying, Dumbledore. You've never allowed me to stay at school before. You said I could only be safe here, at the Dursleys. Either you were lying then, or you're lying now. If you are lying now, that means I'm no longer safe here. . .from Voldemort, I'm not safe here anymore, not a minute in this house.' However confused Harry was, he was not about to pass up a chance to get away from the Dursleys. This was supposed to be his last summer with the Dursleys, which meant he would've never had to return after the coming school year. Now he wouldn't have to spend the remainder of this summer being raped and tortured by his Uncle. "You're right, Headmaster. I would love to spend the summer break at Hogwarts. I, also, am sure I could find something to occupy my time."

Dumbledore smiled brightly. "Excellent, excellent. Well then, we shall leave immediately. Why don't you go to your room and pack your things. I'll wait here."

Harry nodded and walked as quickly as was possible for him up the stairs and to the room that would never again be his prison. His uncle had left his school trunk in the room, but had left it locked with multiple padlocks. Fortunately, Harry found, the locks had been removed. 'Petunia,' he thought, unable to call her 'Aunt,' even in his head. Since his trunk was all he had, as he'd left Hedwig and her cage at school, he was ready in two minutes. Thankfully, he'd charmed the trunk to be featherlight whenever he touched it before he'd left school a few weeks ago, and so he was able to leave quickly and easily.

Once he was downstairs, he stood a few feet in front of Dumbledore, waiting. Dumbledore smiled and reached into his robe. He pulled out a bag of lemon drops and held one out to Harry. Harry started to reach for it, his arm still radiating pain, until Dumbledore told him it was a portkey. Suddenly, Harry dropped his arm, and looked at the smiling, twinkling, crazy old man standing in front of him.

"How do I know you're really Dumbledore? After all, he's never asked me to stay at Hogwarts before. You could be a Death Eater trying to trick me into taking the portkey. For all I know I'll end up in a dungeon somewhere, with Voldemort pointing a wand at me, ready to kill."

Dumbledore laughed. "Very good, Harry. I see I have misunderestimated you. Very wise of you to ask questions. Let's see, would you like to question me under veritaserum?" he asked, his eyes twinkling. Harry shook his head. "No. I'm sure you could beat it." Dumbledore laughed.

-------------------------------------

A short time, and a game of twenty questions later, they arrived in Hogsmeade. Dumbledore took the opportunity to cast several healing spells on Harry, to try to undo some of the damage which had been done by Dursley on the boy's body. They made their way up to the castle in a companionable silence. Once they had reached the Castle doors, Dumbledore started talking. "I've decided that Gryffindor tower would be too large and lonely for you to stay by yourself this summer, so I've arranged for a suite of rooms to be prepared for you to stay in. They'll be yours for this summer, and whenever you want them. Even after you graduate."

Harry smiled, a sense of happiness and relief filling his heart. He'd been so afraid he wouldn't be able to come back after he graduated, but now he knew he could.

As they reached the gargoyle guarding the entrance to Dumbledore's office, the old wizard spoke again.  
"There's just one thing. . .you will not be alone in these rooms. I have another student staying, and I thought it best if you two were roommates." His eyes were twinkling madly.

Harry frowned. "Who is it?" he asked as they rode the revolving staircase up to the office.  
Dumbledore smiled, spoke that week's password, "Everlasting Gobstoppers", and opened the door. He motioned for Harry to go in first, following after, then closing the door. Harry gasped. There, sitting in a chair looking forlorn, was Pansy Parkinson. Dumbledore took his seat behind his desk and smiled.  
"Harry, I'd like you to meet your roommate. I believe you know Pansy Parkinson?"

TBC

AN: haha! anyone know where I got the word "misunderestimated'?


	3. Are you Crazy?

Chapter Three: Continuance

PAST

Harry could not believe what he had just heard. But there she was, sitting calmly, with a forlorn expression, in a chair in front of Dumbledore's desk. Harry took the seat next to her at Dumbledore's request and looked at the Headmaster expectantly.

The old wizard sat behind his desk and looked at the two seventh years with twinkling eyes, as if he knew something they didn't and found the entire situation incredibly amusing. " Harry, just as I thought you might like to enjoy the remainder of the summer at Hogwarts, I thought Miss Parkinson might also. I have arranged for some house elves to set up a flat for you both to share. This apartment is located on the fourth floor, and will be ready shortly. I know when the school year begins, it would be quite a trek from the fourth floor to your classes, so we have installed a magical elevator. This elevator will take you to the main floor of the school, and you can go to your classes from there. Any questions?"

The two teens stared at him, not believing what he had just told them. A Slytherin and Gryffindor of the opposite sex, living together? Was this man out of his mind? It would seem so!

"What do you mean you want us to share an apartment? We hate each other! He's a bloody Gryffindor, for Merlin's sake. You can't ask a Gryffindor and Slytherin to live together," Pansy protested, her eyes wide. Harry secretly agreed with her, but he wouldn't say anything. It was useless to argue with the man. If he says you must live with a Slytherin, then you must. Dumbledore was not a man to be denied, at least not when you're sixteen and nowhere near as powerful.

Dumbledore smiled. "I'm sure you two will get along fabulously. Now why don't you go explore your new rooms? I'll have a house elf show you the way." He summoned the house elf, and instructed it to take the two teens to their new home. The house elf, whose name was Aty, joyfully led them out of the office, down several corridors, and up three flights of stairs. By the time they made it to the new rooms, they had no idea where they were. They hadn't been able to keep track of where they had been led, and had no doubt that Dumbledore had intended for it to be that way.

The house elf smiled up at them. "The password is being 'Apple Tosh', Mister Harry Potter, Sir, Miss Pansy Parkinson, Ma'am. You can change the password to anything yous be liken. Just tell the Picture what is new password, and old password, and then place your hands against it and it will be changed. If yous be needing anything else, Aty is being in the kitchens." Then she disappeared with a pop, leaving Pansy and Harry alone to glare at each other. They looked at the door uncertainly, and then at the portrait of a snake and white and brown fancy rat.

"Apple Tosh." Harry said, knowing he and Pansy would have to agree on a new and better password later. The portrait opened, and Harry heard the snake hiss "Ssstupid humansss." Harry smirked and while Pansy passed through, he hissed back, "I heard that." and then entered the rooms himself, leaving a boggled snake behind.

The first thing that came to his mind when he saw the apartment, was 'Awsome. A kitchen. Finally, I can cook for myself. . .and maybe Pansy...for once.' He loved cooking, but hated it when he had to constantly cook the Dursleys' meals. Now he had the chance to cook for himself, and not spoiled, eat-too-much-anyway prats.  
To the left of him, was the living room. It held a deep, cream colored sectional sofa, which created the living room's separation from the other areas. Against the wall, giving an easy view from the sofa, was a large corner unit entertainment center. A round coffee table was situated conveniently in front of the couch.  
Behind the couch was the kitchen bar, with its stools. Behind the counter was the actual kitchen, complete with full sized stove and refrigerator, Muggle dishwasher, and plenty of counter and cupboard space. All of the Muggle appliances and electronic equipment had been spelled to be able to work in the magical castle. Across from the kitchen was a bedroom, and another bedroom door was located across from the living room and flat entrance.

Harry looked at the Slytherin girl standing in the living room. "Perhaps we should choose our rooms right now, so we can unpack." he said, in a neutral tone.

She looked at him, her expression carefully masked. "I think that's the first good idea you've come up with, Potter," she said coldly. Harry just raised an eyebrow. He wasn't going to respond with words. 'Silence is the best answer to the stupid.' Harry remembered the quote, and kept his mouth shut.

They walked into the first room, which had a queen-sized bed in one corner, with a night table next to it, and the perfect space for a trunk at the end. Across from that space was a large walk-in closet. There were bookshelves lining all the free space of the room, and a desk pushed against the wall to the side of the room door. Across from the bed was a door, which led to large, but simple bathroom. There was another door in the bathroom that led to the second bedroom. Both teens looked at each other, eyes wide as they realized this meant they had to share a bathroom.

They wandered into the second bedroom, which was set up similarly to the first, except the closet was located next to the bedroom door, instead of across from the bed. A simple desk and chair were placed next to the night table, and there was only one bookshelf. "I want this one," Pansy stated, as if expecting him to argue. Harry shrugged. He was glad. He'd rather have the other room anyway. He planned to fill every space on those bookshelves. Pansy raised an eyebrow. "Get out," she said. Harry did so gladly. He didn't want to stay in the room with her any more than she wanted him there.

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PRESENT

It was almost time for potions class, and Harry and Pansy were early, as they had been since school started a month ago. Pansy had tutored Harry that summer in potions, and he now understood them better than ever. He was never really bad at them, he just had a horrible time in class. How could anyone do well in that class with a hateful Potions Master breathing down your neck and criticizing your every move, doing everything in his power to make you fail, whether it was turning a blind eye when someone deliberately sabotaged him, or declaring a perfect potion a disaster?

Harry had decided, after Pansy helped him, to ignore Snape and do well on his potions at all costs, even if it meant spending the entire year in detention. He wasn't going to let Snape push him around anymore. He and Pansy took their now usual seats, in the middle of the second row, and set up their cauldrons. While they waited for Snape and the rest of the class to show up, they conversed in low tones about going to Hogsmeade the next day.

"I wanted to get a new book on ancient magic. And I thought I'd take you to dinner, if that's alright with you. We won't have to cook then," Harry suggested, smiling.

She grinned. "Dinner in town? Awesome. It's been a while. Where will we go?" she asked, knowing he would probably say the Three Broomsticks.

His grin widened. He knew what she was thinking. "I was thinking....Merles," he said nonchalantely.

Her eyes widened. "Harry! That place is way too expensive! We can't go there!"

"I want to treat you, what's wrong with that?" he asked.

She was about to answer, but a cold voice interrupted. "If you would take a break from making plans to show off your fame and wealth, Mr. Potter, you'd realize class is ready to begin and, contrary to your self-conceit, the class will not wait for you," Snape sneered at him.

Harry smiled sweetly up at his tormentor. "Of course not, Professor," he said politely. 'Love thy enemy. . .it drives them crazy,' he thought.

Snape's face showed his disdain, though inside he was bewildered by Harry's lack of a contemptuous remark. He turned on his heel and marched to his desk, waving his wand imperiously at the black board where the instructions magically appeared. He sat down, and barked, "Get to work!"

The small potions class was made up of two Gryffindors, three Ravenclaws, two Hufflepuffs, and six Slytherins. The NEWTS were this year, and each student was driving him or herself crazy preparing. Every seventh year had practically no social life anymore. Instead of dates and hanging out, their days were full of studying, studying, and studying. If anyone made a date, it was a study date.

Harry looked at the board, and studied the ingredients. There was no title identifying the potion they were to be making, and a long list of possible ingredients, with no directions on how much of anything to add.  
There was a certain potion they were supposed to be making, and its ingredients were somewhere in the long list. He had to find out which ingredients they were, and then he would know what potion they were supposed to make.  
He sighed and copied down the list of ingredients before it disappeared from the board, and prepared to rack his memory, not noticing the Potions Master's piercing stare. 

Two hours later, Harry was smiling triumphantly at his perfectly made potion. Almost immediately after writing the ingredients down, he had realized what potion he was supposed to be making. He had only been making it since his fifth year. He looked proudly into his cauldron. The color and consistency were perfect. It was a healing potion, one that temporarily relieves pain and heals exterior wounds, such as deep cuts, burns, some stab wounds, welts and other such things. The more serious injuries could not be healed by it, however. Harry had made several batches before leaving Hogwarts the previous summer, knowing he would need them if he were to make it back to school after the treatment he knew awaited him at the Dursleys. Luckily, after being taken back to Hogwarts by Dumbledore early in the summer, he'd had plenty to give his new friend when he discovered her home life was similar to his.

He looked at Pansy, who was seated at a table next to him. He grinned at her when he caught her eye, and she returned it. However, the smiles were wiped from their faces when Snape swooped down on him, accusing him of cheating off the Slytherin girl.

Harry glared at the man. "I didn't cheat, Professor. How could I have? Pansy is still working on hers. Mine is finished. You can't cheat and finish before the one you were cheating off is done, now can you?" he asked, angry at the Professor's accusations. Really, since when did sharing a smile with a friend in class equal cheating?

Snape sneered at him. "How is it, Mr. Potter, that you could possibly be finished already? We both know your potions skills are less then average. This potion was only mentioned but a few times in your books, and never in class. I know you don't read the books, so how has this happened?" he asked cruelly.

Harry smirked back coldly. "Don't you know what they say about assuming things, Professor? I have the read this year's potion text numerous times. I've done my research. I know how to make the potion, as my completed product clearly shows."

Snape just raised an eyebrow, looking down at the seventh year coolly. "We shall see," he said. "We shall test this potion of yours, Potter, and then you will write a twelve inch essay on the potion. Since your potion is more likely to cause harm than to fix it, you shall be the subject of the test."

Before he could say any more, Harry grabbed his paring knife angrily. He glared up at the Professor and thrust his knife into his own lower arm, dragging it down painfully toward his wrist, slicing through veins as if they were nothing. Several students gasped and many cried out as blood started gushing from his arm. The Potions Master was too shocked to say anything.

Before Snape could try and help Harry, the Gryffindor, still glaring at the Professor, took a vial and filled it with the potion. Then he lifted the vial to his lips and downed it quickly. A second later, the wound closed up and the blood stopped flowing. He looked a mess, though, blood soaking his arm and pooling on the table. "It works," he said simply to the wide eyed Professor.

"Are you out of your bloody mind, Potter? You could have ruined yourself," Snape yelled angrily, trying to calm the fear that had raced through his heart when Harry stabbed himself. "What would you have done had the potion not been brewed properly? Taking a botched healing potion would have speeded up the reaction of the wound, and could possibly have killed you!"

Harry stared at him, his expression hard. "I knew my potion was perfect. And even if it had not been, I had trust in you to have a proper healing potion waiting. A man such as yourself is not stupid or trusting enough of his students or fate not to have something handy in case something did happen." Harry stood up and cast a cleansing spell on his arm to clean away the blood, and began packing away his things. He smiled at a pale Pansy before leaving. Stopping at the door, he turned to face the speechless Professor. "When do you want that essay turned in?" he asked, his brow raised.

Snape blinked, then squared his shoulders and narrowed his eyes. "Tomorrow morning," he said crisply. Harry nodded and then left, the class over.

Twenty minutes later, Harry was having a shower in his and Pansy's apartment, when the girl herself stormed into the bathroom. "ARE YOU CRAZY?" She screamed at him. Harry pulled the curtain open a bit to show his head.

"I thought you of all people would know I could make that potion and have trust in me," he said calmly, water dripping down his face. "You know I wouldn't hurt myself if I didn't know I could heal myself back up."

She glared. "Fear does not allow room for logic, Harry Potter!" she said, angrily. "All I could see was the blood running down your arm like Niagara Falls! I couldn't think of anything else, except that you were hurt and might have fucked yourself up royally! I know you can make that potion perfectly. I know you wouldn't hurt yourself without making sure you could heal it. But I couldn't remember that when I was scared." she said.

Harry smiled at her. "I'm sorry, Pans. I didn't mean to scare you. I was just so mad at Snape that I wanted to shock him. Make him shut up. I think I succeeded, don't you?" he asked innocently. She glared at him, but then broke into laughter. "You are a git." she said before leaving the bathroom.

TBC

AN: I will have a basic floorplan of their flat at my website if you wanna see it.

Author Notes: Chapter three, ladies and gents. What do ya think? I hope you like. More to come.  
Thank you Suzuki-Chan! I'm glad you're enjoying and coming back for more:-P And Lazue is correct. Pres. Bush used the word 'Misunderestimated'


	4. Decieving Apperances

Chapter Four: Deceiving Appearances

Harry stood in the living room of the flat, dressed in his best dress robes and waiting impatiently for Pansy to leave her room. He looked at his watch and rolled his eyes. Seven Forty-six. "Pansy! It's seven forty-six! The reservations are for eight! Are you ready yet?" he yelled, wanting to be heard through her bedroom door. "Better yet, will you be done at all this millennium?" He added sarcastically.

The door opened and a beautiful Pansy walked out, wearing a pretty Muggle dress in colors of black, emerald and jade, the pattern indistinguishable, but melding together perfectly.

Harry grinned at her as he held out his hand and she accepted it, along with the small kiss he placed upon it. She rolled her eyes, and he complimented her. "You look beautiful, Pans. When did you buy this?" he asked curiously.

"I bought it two weeks ago. I saw it in a store and it just seemed to call me. Let's gonow. Wouldn't want to be late, would we?" she asked, tugging on his emerald robes, which matched her dress nicely. Harry nodded and they left.

It took them ten minutes to walk to the fancy restaurant in Hogsmeade. It was a small, cozy little house-like building in a secluded area of the wizarding village, surrounded by tall trees, lush and rich with deep green leaves. The walkway was lined with pure white lilies, upon which rested little fairies, lighting the path. Hanging pots of sweet-smelling lilacs and sweet Williams hung from hooks on either side of the wood and glass door. Two shoulder height lanterns stood on either side of the door as well. Surrounding the base of these lamps were circles of yellow and white tulips. Bushes of orange, red, and yellow mixed roses lining the walls of the restaurant finished off the picture of perfect comfort and floral beauty.

Harry held open the door for Pansy and she walked in, a look of awe on her face. She had been to fancy, expensive restaurants before with her parents, but never before had she been to one that was so cozy and inviting. Merle's was decorated in earthy colors, and soft lights gave it a comfy, warm atmosphere. By comparison, other restaurants had been cold and formal, and not at all comfortable.

She grinned at Harry, and he returned it. A waitress came up to them, a smile on her face, and introduced herself. "Good evening. My name is Rachelle and I'll be your hostess for the evening. Do you have a reservation?" she asked cheerfully.

"Yes. It's for two, under Evans," Harry informed her, giving her his mother's maiden name. He had not wanted to be bothered or recognized tonight, so he had made the reservation under a name with which most people would not be familiar.

She found the name on the log book and marked something next to it. "Follow me, please," she said, grabbing two menus from the counter and leading them to a table in the back.

Harry had reserved one of the best tables. It was positioned on a raised platform, and surrounded by floor-to-ceiling windows that looked out upon the waves lapping against the rocky shore of the lake, beyond it the Scottish Highlands, with stars twinkling overhead. If they had been anyone but Harry and Pansy, it would seem as if the two were involved romantically.

Rachelle placed the menus on the table and watched, an 'awe-he's-so-sweet' look on her face, as Harry held out Pansy's chair for her and scooted her in, then took his seat. "Would you like anything to drink for a start?" she asked, pulling out a Quick-Notes quill from her pocket.

Harry looked briefly at the menu and then asked for a non-alcoholic strawberry daiquiri. He and Rachelle looked at Pansy, waiting patiently for her decision. "May I have an alcohol-free Piña Colada?"

"Of course," Rachelle said, her Quick Quill taking their drinks order down faster than she could have written it. "I'll return in a few moments with your drinks." She turned and left, leaving them to look at their menus and decide what they wanted.

Harry picked up his menu intending to do that very thing. He looked immediately for the meatless products, having turned into a vegetarian two summers ago after reading some of Dudley's unwanted mail about the abuse on animal factory farms. His eyes landed on a tofu manicotti and he decided that would be nice to try. He also decided on a cheddar salad and breadsticks. He looked at Pansy and noticed she was having a hard time deciding. "What's wrong?" he asked, tilting his head slightly to the side, his gaze trained on her.

She sighed. "I don't know what to get. Some of the vegetarian meals sound good, but I don't know what to choose. I've never had tofu before, and it makes me a little nervous. I'm torn between the manicotti and the penne," she said.

Harry sat back in his seat calmly, and answered, "Get the penne. I'm ordering the manicotti, so you can try them both. Is that good?" She smiled. "Yes."

A few seconds later, Rachelle returned with their requested drinks. "Have you decided?" she asked.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was after ten o'clock when Harry and Pansy made it home from Merle's. Pansy was very tired. After they ate dinner, they had danced for what seemed like forever before stopping to eat dessert. After that, they were too tired to dance anymore and had paid the bill and left.

Harry said the password to their rooms and took Pansy's coat from her. She went to her room to change, and Harry did the same. As soon as he'd pulled on his shorts, she knocked on the bathroom door and he called for her to come in.

Harry was not worried about being seen shirtless in front of Pansy, and she didn't mind. He was gay, they both knew that, and she didn't have a problem with it. Nothing would happen between them, and Pansy didn't want anything to happen. He was practically her brother, he was her best friend.

Harry climbed into bed and pulled the covers back for her to join him. She did so, her eyes heavy with sleep, and rested her head against his shoulder. She hardly noticed when he turned off the lights. They were both asleep within moments.

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Severus growled. He was angry, which was no surprise. It also was no surprise that the source of his anger was Harry Potter. When the Gryffindor prince hadn't shown up for breakfast that morning, Dumbledore had been worried and asked, (more like ordered), Severus to go check on him, to make sure nothing was wrong.

So there he was, stalking through the halls towards Harry and Pansy's fourth floor flat, wanting to be anywhere but on his way there. He was not in the mood to see the gorgeous Potter, the bane of his existence, the object of his dreams, this early in the morning. It had only been two hours ago that he had woken up in a very sticky situation, less than pure thoughts about the Gryffindor hero fresh on his mind.

He finally arrived in front of the portrait guarding the students' rooms and muttered the teachers' password. He entered the silent dark living room and frowned. It seemed as if they hadn't even woken up yet. "Of course not. Lazy prat. Potter's a bad influence on Parkinson," he muttered.

He sighed. He wanted to leave, but knew that there was the slight possibility that something was wrong, and Potter was in trouble. Dumbledore would kill him if he left the flat without even checking to see if he was there.

Sighing again, he made his way to the first door he saw and opened it. Not having a good view of the bed, he walked farther into the room, his breathing becoming shorter. He was in Potters bedroom: the room Harry slept in every night. Severus was very uncomfortable. It was not a good idea for him to be in the dark bedroom belonging to the object of his desire.

He pulled out his wand and muttered 'Lumos.' What he saw when he aimed the light's glow at the bed made him gasp. Potter and Parkinson were in bed, together. She was resting her head on his bare chest, the thin tank top she wore riding up to reveal a lot of skin. The blanket covered everything from the waist down on both of them, and Severus felt sick at the thought that they might not be wearing anything from the waist down.

He suddenly felt an intense heat in his chest, and realized it to be jealousy. He hated the fact that Pansy Parkinson was in bed, half naked, with the man of his uninnocent dreams.

He quickly left the room, not wanting to see them any longer. He had done what he was supposed to. Potter was alive and a little _too_ well. Nothing was wrong, except that Severus felt ill, and needed to get out of there.

TBC

Authors Note: I do believe this is my longest chapter yet, but I can't tell. It takes place completely in the present and the next chapter will probably have both past and present in it, like the previous chapters. Thanks for reading and until next time,

Optional.

AN2: A piece of news you will be happy to hear is that I have a beta! She's great and has beta'd this chapter to better enhance your enjoyment of my story. You guys thank her, too, will ya? :-D


	5. Birthdays

Faveo Amo et faveo Defendo

Chapter 5/?

Chapter Five: Birthdays

Today was Pansy's birthday, and Harry had been working three months to throw her a small party she would love. Pansy wasn't expecting anything, but was slightly concerned about his secretive behaviour. She had attributed it to the fact that he and his band were trying to decide on a name.

Harry had gone out during a free period while Pansy was in class to buy the supplies and to pick up the presents he had ordered. His first stop had been a party supply store in Hogsmeade where he bought some banners and cake candles, an ivory table cloth, and silver and black balloons. The next stop was the jewelry store where he had custom designed a necklace for her.

The bell above the door jingled when he entered, and the storekeeper looked up. The aging woman behind the counter smiled at him warmly.

"Hello, Mr. Potter. Come for your gift, yes?" she asked, reaching below the counter and pulling from a drawer a black velvet jewelry case. She placed it on the glass counter top and motioned for Harry to come closer. When he had designed the necklace, he had given the jewelry maker a sketch of what he wanted, and now he would finally see what the finished product looked like.

He took the case into his hands and opened the lid. He gasped. Inside lay a diamond and emerald pendant in the shape of a heart. Inside the heart was a diamond teardrop dangling from the center. The pendant hung from a delicate-looking, but strong, gold chain.

His eyes sparkling, he looked up at the shopkeeper. "It's beautiful." he said in awe.

She smiled. "I'm sure the lucky girl will love it."

Harry smiled. "I hope so." Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out the gold needed to pay for the necklace.

"Have a nice day, Mr. Potter," she told him, handing back his change and waving him out the door.

Harry's next stop was Ministry of Magic building. He had some papers he needed to pick up, which he wanted to present to Pansy that night. He hoped she would be happy, and not upset with him. He made his way to the Shreiking Shack, where he would hail the Knight bus.

He paused and looked at the building that held so many memories for him. This was where he had first truly met his Godfather back in his third year. This was where he'd found out his parents hadn't really been betrayed by his Godfather, where he'd found out he _had_ a Godfather.

He faced away from the house and brought out his wand. He pushed thoughts of his dead Godfather from his mind, brought his wand up, and then quickly brought it back down, flagging the Knight Bus. With a loud BANG the brightly painted purple bus appeared in front of him. Before Stan Shunpike could say anything, Harry stepped onto the bus. "Ministry of Magic, London," he told him firmly.

Stan blinked, then nodded and replayed the destination to Ern, the driver. Harry sat down on one of the beds and pulled out that morning's edition of the Daily Prophet, trying to busy himself so that they wouldn't try and talk to him.

Stan seemed to take the hint, but seemed a bit miffed about it. It took them about 20 minutes to get to the Ministry of Magic phone booth entrance in London. The bus screeched to a stop, nearly throwing Harry from his seat. He paid Stan the fare and got off the bus, which disappeared the second he had both feet on the ground.

He entered the phone booth, picked up the phone piece and dialed the number he remembered Mr. Weasley dialing back in fifth year. "Welcome to the Ministry of Magic London Offices. What is your name, and the purpose of your visit?" a female voice asked strongly and clearly.

"Harry Potter, private business," he answered.

"Please hold," the voice advised. A second later, she spoke again. "Entrance approved. Please take the identification pic and secure it to your lapel. Then proceed to the Wand Processing station. Thank you and enjoy your visit."

A silver badge pin appeared from within the coin return slot and Harry fastened it to his lapel. As soon as it was on, the phone booth began to sink into the ground quickly. Harry patiently waited for the booth to stop. As soon as it did, he opened the door and walked into the brightly lit first floor. This floor seemed empty, except for the lone witch sitting behind the counter of the Wand Processing station.

Harry made his way to her, and handed her his wand wordlessly. She looked at the wand without interest, and passed her own wand over it, muttering a spell. Then she handed it back to him. "Proceed, please," she said tiredly. Harry nodded, took his wand back and thanked her.

The walked towards a staircase and stepped onto it. It started moving upwards, like a Muggle escalator. Once he arrived at the third floor, he stepped off and made his way down the hall. He stopped in front of a door marked 'Family Relations' and knocked, before entering.

"Hello. Mr. Astrater?" he asked. The tall, thin man sitting behind the desk looked up and smiled.

"Hello, Mr. Potter. Please, have a seat."

---------------

Harry took the chocolate soda cake from the oven and sat it out to cool on the counter. Next from inside the oven came the delicious smelling, and looking, eggplant parmesan. The melted mozzarella cheese on top had a slight golden brown color to it and Harry's mouth watered. This was the first time he had made this for Pansy and he hoped fervently that she would enjoy it. He wanted this day to be perfect.

He made sure the oven was off, even though he didn't need to worry about anything catching fire as the kitchen had anti-fire spells placed on it. He made his way to the table and placed the delicate ivory colored tablecloth over it, the corners falling gracefully to the ground and pooling at each table leg. He went to a cabinet under the bar which faced the living room, and pulled out the cream colored vanilla and lavender scented candles. Waving his hand at them, they began to float a good three feet above the table. With another two spells, they were lit and the hot wax was unable to drip.

Next he began to set the table. He placed cream colored porcelain plates with emerald patterns in front of each chair. Next came the crystal wine glasses, which he planned to fill with grape juice. Neither of them was particularly fond of wine. Next came the silverware, and the cloth napkins encircled by an emerald ring.

He went to the kitchen for the eggplant dish, bringing it back to the table and setting it in the middle, within easy reach of both of them. After that, the table was complete. Now to frost the cake. Pansy would be there in a few minutes, and Harry wanted to be finished before she got there.

He finished the cake and went to the living room to wait for her to show up. The necklace was in his shirt pocket, and the papers in the kitchen drawer. There was nothing else to do.

Two minutes passed before he heard the chime announcing someone had entered the flat. Pansy came into the room and smiled at Harry. "Hi, Harry!" She said happily, removing her outer robe and laying it across the back of their black sofa.

Harry stood up and embraced her. "Happy birthday, Pansy," he said, pulling back enough to smile warmly at her.

"Thank you, Harry." she replied, happy he had remembered her birthday.

He grinned. "Come on," he said, grabbing her hand and pulling her towards the table. "Happy birthday," he repeated, pulling out a chair for her. Her eyes widened as she took in the sight of what he had done. The air around her now smelled deliciously of the vanilla and lavender candles, and the aroma of the cheesy dinner made her mouth water.

She took the seat he offered her and smiled up at him as he scooted her chair in. Then he walked around and took the seat opposite her. "This is called eggplant parmesan, and it is delicious, trust me. I hope you like it," he said, using a large spoon to gather a generous amount of the food onto her plate.

He watched as she took her first bite, and grinned happily when the first expression on her closed-eyed face was approval. "It's great!" she said, after she had swallowed and opened her eyes.

40 minutes later, they had finished eating and chatting. He beckoned her to the living room, where he decided to give her her first present. They were seated on the sofa, and he reached into his front pocket and pulled out the velvet box. "Here. Happy Birthday," he said, holding the box out to her. Her eyes widened, and then softened as she took it from his hands and slowly opened it. She gasped when she saw the necklace, and tears coated her eyes, making them sparkle in the warm glow of the light.

"Oh, Harry. . . It's beautiful! You really shouldn't have. Ignore the cliché ness of that statement, please," she said softly, gazing in awe at the pendant.

"I wanted to get it for you. I designed it especially for you, and I've had many strong and ancient protection spells woven into it, so that no harm can come to you. The teardrop signifies the pain we both had to go through to arrive at the point we're at now," he said softly while taking the box from her and removing the necklace. He gently placed it around her neck, clasping the chain.

Pansy had a few tears on her face as she pulled him into a hug. "Thank you, Harry. I'll always wear it," she told him.

After a few more minutes of silence and hugging, Harry pulled away. "I have one more present for you," he said.

She looked at him in surprise. "You're kidding, right? This is already entirely too much. You can't give me anything else!"

Harry just smiled and went to the kitchen, opened the drawer, and pulled out the stack of folded papers. He made his way back into the living room and reclaimed his seat next to his best friend. "I hope you won't be insulted or angry or anything, but here you are.",,

Looking at Harry curiously, she took the papers from him and unfolded them. Then she looked down, read the first line of bold letters and gasped, her eyes widening and expressing her shock.

**PETITION FOR ADOPTION**

She looked up at him. "You want to adopt me?" she asked in awe. She was confused however, and after he nodded, she explained to him her confusion. "How can you adopt me? You're only a few months older than me. "

He nodded, as if expecting her question. "Have you ever heard of sibling adoption?" he asked. She shook her head in the negative. "It's where a person can adopt another as a sibling, a brother or sister. This adoption would provide legal protection to the adopted, if for instance, they were trying to escape a negligent, abusive, or just plain evil, parent or guardian. If I were to adopt you, you could, if you chose to, take my last name. You would inherit everything of mine if I died, unless otherwise stated in a will I may leave behind, and your father would have no control over you any more. If I were to get custody, so to speak, you would legally be my little sister."

Pansy started crying and pulled Harry into a hug, her face buried in Harry's neck, and he could feel her tears on his neck. He didn't know what to do, so he did what he thought best: He held her tighter and started saying nonsensical things to calm her down. She mumbled into his shoulder, but he couldn't understand her.

"What was that, sweetie?" he asked gently.

She pulled away slightly. "I love you! Yes, I want you to adopt me. I would be honoured to be your sister." Then she started crying again. Harry laughed and hugged her back.

"I am glad you agree. I would be honoured to be your brother. Come on. I made cake. We should eat it before it spoils. It's chocolate. . ." Pansy was in the kitchen so fast, Harry almost got whiplash just watching her. When he made it to the table, she was bringing in the cake. He waved his wand and the dinner dishes were in the sink washing themselves, and new dishware was waiting.

"It will take three months for the rest of the adoption to go through, once you sign the papers and they put you under Veritaserum," he told her, lighting the candles on the cake. "Make a wish," he told her, sitting down.

She held back her hair, closed her eyes, and blew out the candles, having made her wish. Then she sat down and helped Harry remove the candles. "Why will they put me under Veritaserum?" she asked him, laying the candles down on the table.

She caught his eye as he began to explain. "It's just to make sure you're going into this willingly. They want to make sure I'm not coercing you into this adoption."

"What an idea," she said, eyeing the slice of cake Harry placed on her plate. Chocolate was her favourite, and Harry made the best chocolate cakes.

---------------------PAST-----------------------

The first thing Harry noticed when he woke up that morning was that the DVD had replayed itself, and that the movie he and Pansy had watched last night was again almost over. He winced as he watched the British actor fall through the window, still clutching the wrist of John McClain's wife.

"What a shame. The bloke's gorgeous. Too bad he isn't gay in real life, I might have to hunt him down," he said as he climbed out of bed. Pansy was still asleep and he did not want to wake her, as it was almost five a.m.

He wanted to go for a long run before the rest of the castle woke up. Not that there were many people there in the first place, but he enjoyed running in the cool morning air, when the ground was still wet with the night's dew, and even the forest seemed to be asleep.

He went to his dresser and pulled out a pair of sweat pants and a tank top. After changing, he headed out to the grounds. He stopped by the lake and started his stretches. These morning runs were the only time he could run without having to use glamour charms to cover his scars, or hide behind baggy, long sleeved shirts. No one was ever up at this hour.

He started at an easy jog around the lake, and then made his way around the Quidditch pitch. By then, he was warmed up enough and the blood was pumping through his veins, the adrenaline rushing through him as he felt his feet slam into the ground as he sailed across the grounds. He sped up as he passed Hagrid's quiet cabin, and soon he was running fast on the edge of the Forbidden forest.

It had been less than a month since he and Pansy had been forced to live together, and already they were very close. Once they had discovered how similar their lives were, they had begun to see past the masks they wore at school.

Harry had caught her trying to rub a mediocre pain-relieving potion on her back, a back littered with bruises and cuts. Harry had been shocked, but had realized he had misjudged her, just as she had done to him. He had taken the potion from her and brought her to his room. She had been afraid of him then, any experience leading to a man's bedroom was bad for her.

But to her surprise, he had removed his shirt and shown her his own scars. In that moment they became connected, and Pansy knew she had found someone who understood her and wouldn't try to hurt her. Then he went to his desk and from inside a drawer pulled out a small pot of cream.

When he told her what it was and what it would do, she lay on her stomach and let him massage the healing cream into her back. She fell asleep before he was done.

When Harry returned to the room a few minutes later, Pansy was still asleep. He decided he would first take a shower, and then cook breakfast before waking her up. With that plan in mind, he went to his dresser, got out some cloths, and went to the bathroom.

Hearing the bathroom door shut, Pansy opened her eyes and waited until she heard the shower turn on. Then she threw the covers off, and flew out of bed. She had gotten dressed when Harry had left for his jog, and had then climbed back into bed to wait for him to return. She was still incredibly tired, and so had allowed herself to sleep while he was gone.

Now that he was back, she had to move quickly. She went into the kitchen, and, being careful not to make unnecessary noise, set to making him a birthday breakfast. Of course, she wouldn't mention the birthday bit. She wanted him to be surprised later when the party started, and she knew he probably didn't even realize it was his birthday. Saying something would ruin that.

She made large waffles, covered them with strawberries and filled them with cream cheese and then sprinkled them with powdered sugar. The meal was ready by the time he finished with his shower.

She brought their plates to the table, and then went to get a pitcher of white grape juice.

When Harry stepped out of the bathroom in his jeans and jade green t-shirt which clung to him in the most flattering way, the smell of strawberries and waffles assaulted his senses pleasantly. He made his way to the kitchen, a grin on his face. "It smells and looks delicious," he said to her, finding her setting glasses on the table.

"I'm glad you think so. Sit down and tell me if they taste as good as they smell." Harry didn't need to be told twice. He eagerly sat down and grabbed his fork. However, he waited until she sat down and was ready as well. Smiling at each other, they dug in.

Harry didn't have time to tell her if it was any good, as he wouldn't wait between bites to talk. Pansy took that as a good sign however, and was glad he enjoyed it.

Since it was only six a.m., and they couldn't go into the Great Hall, and neither felt like going outside at the moment, they decided to go back to Harry's room and watch movies. Pansy went to the entertainment center and looked at the movies and DVD's.

"Bloody hell, Harry. What's with all the Alan Rickman movies?" she asked, exasperated.

Harry stared at her incredulously. "Have you _seen_ his chest? Have you _heard_ his voice? Bloody hell, Pansy. He's gorgeous, and he's got talent!"

It was almost twelve when they finally turned off the TV. Harry rolled onto his back and stretched out his arms above his head, groaning loudly. "That was fun," he commented as he rolled back onto his stomach.

"It was. I'm hungry, though," she said, looking at her wrist watch. "What do you say we go get some lunch from the Great Hall? I don't feel like cooking, or waiting for you to cook." she said with a grin. Harry agreed. He rolled off the bed and held out a hand to help her, even if she didn't need it.

"Let's go, then."

As they walked to the Great Hall, Pansy tried to contain her excitement, and her nervousness. Harry's friends would be there, and Pansy hated to admit it, but she was afraid Harry might forget her once he saw them again. She knew they wouldn't be crazy about the idea of her. She had asked Headmaster Dumbledore to sign and send out the invitations. People didn't need to know a Slytherin daughter of a Death Eater was throwing the Boy-Who-Lived a party.

When they arrived at the Great Hall, Harry pushed open the doors and then stumbled back in surprise when a crowd of people screamed, "SURPRISE!", at him. His jaw dropped. "I don't believe it. What's going on?" he asked, turning to look questioningly at Pansy.

She smiled widely at him. "It's your birthday party, silly," she said.

"Birthday party? whose birthda---Oh. I forgot!" he said, completely serious. The entire Hall laughed, however, thinking he was joking. Only Pansy believed him.

Harry dragged Pansy to the table and sat down, blushing as he pushed his way through the crowd and gave out polite thank you's and how are you's. When they were seated, Harry ducked his head, willing the blush to disappear. "I can't believe this! I've never had a party before. Who set this up, I wonder?" he said quietly.

"I hope you like it. I thought it might be fun for you to see your friends," Pansy said nervously.

Harry looked at her, surprise clearly showing through his eyes. "You set this up?" he asked. At her nod, he pulled her into a hug. "Thank you," he said into her hair. She nodded against his shoulder.

They were interrupted a minute later. "Harry?" a female voice asked, forcing Harry to let go of Pansy and look up.

"Hermione!" he said happily. He stood up and hugged her, although not nearly as warmly or as long as he hugged Pansy. That reassured Pansy to some degree. Next, Harry gave a short hug to Ron, who stood next to Hermione.

They looked curiously over his shoulder at Pansy, who was uncomfortable with the looks. "Harry....why is she sitting next to you? Why is she here? Why were you hugging her?" Hermione asked, not bothering to keep her voice down, and sounding somewhat accusing.

Harry braced himself. "_She_ has a name. It's Pansy. And her reason for being at the school is none of your business. She is a very dear friend to me, and I hope you will not be disrespectful," he told them firmly. Ron's face was burning, and Hermione looked shocked and appalled.

"Harry! She's a _SLYTHERIN _!! How can you be her friend?" Ron demanded angrily. Harry sighed.

"Harry, Slytherins are evil! I can't believe you'd be friends with one," Hermione said, disappointment and anger in her voice. Harry's eyes narrowed, while Pansy winced.

Pansy watched the exchange nervously. "She is not evil. And what happened to your ideas about House unity, Hermione? I can't believe you'd be so superficial as to stereotype Slytherins as evil because of a few bad wizards and witches. Have you forgotten Pettigrew?" Hermione seemed to ignore the question.

"I can't be friends with a person who consorts with the enemy!" Hermione said, and a red- faced Ron nodded his head in agreement. Harry's eyes narrowed dangerously. He took no notice of the silent Hall as the guests and teachers, including Snape, watched with rapt attention.

"Are you giving me an ultimatum?" he asked. "You guys or her?" he asked, his voice dangerously blank.

"That's exactly what we're doing." Ron said. Harry nodded, and Pansy's heart was pounding, waiting for Harry's answer. "I see. Well then, there's only one thing I have to say." Ron looked smug and Hermione smiled widely as Harry turned towards Pansy, a grim expression on his face.

Pansy stopped breathing. He was going to leave her. He was going to choose his best friends over her. She shouldn't be surprised, but why did the idea hurt so much? "Well, Pansy. What do you say to dinner in Hogsmeade? I think it would be nice to get out of the castle for a while," he said, smiling at her. Three jaws dropped.

"WHAT?" his ex-friends cried.

Harry turned to look at them, his expression cold. "I do not abandon my friends. I can't believe you would try to make me choose between you two and Pansy. That shows I have wasted my time with immature _children_ for the past six years. Really, I should be thanking you. You've kept me from wasting any more of my life with people who are superficial and not worth it. See you around," he said to the shocked teens.

Authors Note: How was that, folks? I hope you enjoyed, and more will be out soon. I have outlined my story up untill chapter 22, so I hope you're prepared for a long, awesome ride!

A few things though: One is Happy belated Christmas! Two: Some bad things have been happening in my life and my future is uncertain. sepending on the out come of the next week or so, this may be my last chapter for awhile. I'll let you know. Three: I know this doesn't seem very slashy yet, but I promise it will happen. I hope you will be patient with me and stay tuned for future chapters.

Optional


	6. Curse

Chapter Six

Harry was reading a potions book when there was an urgent knock on his door. He was up quickly, dropping his book to the floor, and opened his door to be faced by a frantic looking Madam Poppy Pomfrey.

"Madam Pomfrey! What's the matter" he asked, deeply concerned by her appearance and demeanor.

Her face was pale, and her eyes wide. "Harry, the Headmaster needs to see you immediately. Something's happened..." Fear began to knot in the pit of his stomach, and he nodded.

He followed the school Medi-witch through the corridors and down several staircases, before they arrived at the statue guarding the entrance to the Headmaster's office. Poppy muttered the candy password and they both rushed up the stairs, not waiting for the revolving staircase to take them on its slow upward journey.

When Harry stepped into the actual office, the sight that greeted him was alarming. Severus Snape, pale faced and shaking, lay on a transfigured couch. His eyes were closed, but you could see them moving behind his eyelids as he dreamed, or, more likely, experienced a nightmare. Dumbledore sat in a chair next to him, looking upset at being unable to do anything for his young friend.

"Headmaster, what's wrong with Professor Snape? Why am I here" he asked, worry in his voice, his eyes never leaving the form of his suffering professor. Dumbledore looked at him gravely.

"I'm afraid our professor has just returned from a painful Death-Eater meeting, Harry. We do not know what he is suffering from. Poppy has administered after-Cruciatus potions to reduce the effects, but it has done nothing. It's not what he's suffering."

Harry nodded, but was still confused. What did this have to do with him? He looked into the Headmaster's eyes, his question reflecting clearly in his own emerald orbs.

"I need you to perform a Searching Ritual, Harry" Dumbledore said gravely. Harry's eyes widened in surprise.

"Headmaster, are you sure? I've never done it before. This is even more intrusive than Legilimens. I might hurt him worse if I fail" he said. The thought of harming his professor terrified him. It was the last thing he wanted to do.

"I know this, Harry. But I have every confidence in you. I know you will do everything in your power to not hurt him and to succeed in this. It's the only way we can help him now. If you don't do this, he may never recover again" Dumbledore explained to him, his faith in Harry showing through his blue eyes.

Harry took a deep breath and then nodded. He would do this. And damn him to Hell if he failed.

Ten minutes later, Harry and Severus were ready. The unconscious man had been moved to the middle of the floor, and a circle of magical clear quartz crystals was placed around the two men, to help the young wizard find the source of Severus' ailment and to focus the healing power. Harry knelt next to Severus' twitching form, and grasped the older man's hand in his own. He bowed his head and closed his eyes, focusing on the warm, calloused hand which he held so carefully.

He took a deep breath and held it for a few seconds before releasing it. He repeated the process three more times, focusing the entire time entirely on the man he was trying to help. He could feel Severus' hand jerking, could hear the blood rushing in his own ears as he concentrated on joining minds with Severus. Soon he could hear nothing but the sound of two beating hearts, two rushing pulses and two bodies breathing - one deep, and one ragged.

Then the sounds of two beating hearts slowed and blended into one. He gasped, throwing his head back as the ragged breathing became his own and his thoughts became Severus' thoughts. There was a searing pain throughout their bodies as Harry's soul was torn from his body and thrown into Severus'. As he was torn from his body he shouted the words "_Decken Sie zu mir das auf, das diese Seele schmerzt" _The body previously housing Harry's soul went limp, and grew cold as it waited for the soul's return.

Harry only had a limited amount of time to find the problem and fix it before his body died and he would be unable to return to it. He was now standing in a dark endless room, with no doors or walls in sight. It was pitch black, except for a faint light emitted from himself. He began to walk forward, listening for any sound that might help him find what he was looking for. He knew he would find it somewhere nearby, as the spell he had shouted guided him close to where the problem resided.

As he continued to move forward, walls became visible, and the further he walked, the closer and more narrow the walls became. Portraits appeared on the wall, each depicting a different image, a memory, Harry presumed. The first portrait showed a dark haired woman giving birth to a baby, a blonde haired man standing nearby, a cold look on his face. The next image was of a little boy, about two or three, being held by his mother as he cried.

The images continued to show scenes from Severus' life: his father's abuse of him and his mother, his mother's murder at the hands of his father. The ministry finding Mr. Snape innocent of murder charges, his father's cruel abuse of him, being taught the Dark Arts, and more scenes of a life lived in hell.

Tears were in Harry's eyes as he witnessed the life his professor had been forced to live. The next portrait he came to though, was different from all the others. There was nothing in it. The frame contained a blank picture. However, the canvas was not white, but a deep, forbidding black. He gasped as he realized he must have found what he was looking for.

_'Why is the frame empty? Where is the memory?'_ he wondered. He stared at it, studying it for any clues that might help him uncover its secret. He could see the small strands of magic woven through it. Little threads of gold, bright blue, yellow, red and orange swam and shimmered across the frame and black void. It looked normal, until he looked closer and realized, the black void was a blanket of black threads of magic.

Closing his eyes, he probed the black threads with his mind. His eyes flew open when he was assaulted by pure evil and hatred. He could hear screams of pain echoing from behind the void, and knew that the black void was a powerful memory charm, made strong by years of hiding its presence. But it was more than that. Not only was it blocking a memory, it was replacing it with a false one.

Harry closed his eyes again and began to concentrate on breaking the black threads with his own magic. Silver and gray strands of magic began to form at his fingertips, snaking like currents of electricity. He raised his arms and with a burst of magic, sent the threads flying at the black void. His magic assaulted the memory charm and the two magical powers battled for what seemed like forever.

Beads of sweat broke out over Harry's body as he struggled with the memory charm. Who ever had cast it had been very powerful, and someone of even more power had enforced it with their own magic. He gasped as a blinding light exploded, obliterating the memory charm and knocking Harry on his back with a violent force. He gasped and arched in agony, gritting his teeth as he rode out the angry waves of pain caused by the destruction of a decades long curse.

When it passed, he felt drained, but forced himself to stand up. He had to finish, and he had little time to do it. When he looked at the frame again, there was no longer a black void, but an image. The image was of a young man, late teens maybe, arguing with Snape Sr. Harry could tell immediately that the young man was his professor.

The portrait did not move, and Harry desperately wanted to see the memory. He knew he was supposed to see it. He wasn't done here yet, or he would have been ripped from this body already. He reached a hand out and touched the canvas, and thought about being in the memory, of seeing it in its entirety. And then he was falling forward. He felt a rush of cold air blow at him, cooling his insides and sending shivers down his spine as he was taken beyond the portrait and into the actual memory.

_"I am not going to join your cause! I hate what you do! I hate what you stand for and I refuse to be a part of it" Severus Snape yelled, his seventeen year old voice not as deep or cold as his adult voice, but deep nonetheless. _

_The young Severus stood before a graying, but still handsome Aarohn Snape, his father, his expression completely serious and determined, despite the fear Harry could see just beneath the surface of his eyes. Aarohn observed his son coolly, his eyes cold and calculating, dangerous._

_"You will do as I tell you. You are a Snape, and the Snapes have been a dedicated family of the Dark Arts. You will join me in the Dark Lord's ranks, or I will kill you. Those are your only options" he stated to his son, speaking without emotion._

_Severus raised his chin. "Then kill me" he hissed. "I will not join Voldemort! I will not be a boot licker and a killer. Go to hell" he said defiantly, before turning around to leave. _

_However, before he reached the door, his father raised his wand. "Cruciatus." Severus hit the ground._

_Harry watched with growing horror as Aarohn walked towards his son as if he was taking a stroll in the park, a twisted smile of pleasure on his face. He reached down and grabbed his son by the collar, which then began to strangle the unconscious man. Severus began to choke and sputter, fighting to breathe in his state._

_Harry wanted to rush forward and pull the man away, but he knew he could not. Instead he watched, horrified, as Aarohn dropped his son and delivered a few kicks to his side. Then he muttered another spell and Severus was levitated into a standing position. Aarohn woke him with an 'Ennervate' and Severus' eyes flew open, full of fury._

_"You have no choice, son. You will become a loyal servant of the Dark Lord, even if I have to force you." Then Aarohn apparated them both away. Harry's vision swam as he too was taken away, to see the rest of the memory. When he could see clearly again, he was in a dark graveyard. His eyes widened as he realized it was the same graveyard he and Cedric had been portkeyed to in his fourth year._

_Aarohn was kneeling in the center of a ring of Death Eaters, with a somewhat younger looking Voldemort standing before him. Severus lay bound on the ground next to them._

_"My Lord, I bring you my son to be marked and made a servant to you" Aarohn said, still kneeling with his head bowed. _

_Voldemort surveyed Severus with a sinister look in his dark eyes. "Very good, Aarohn. He will be a good asset to my cause" he said coldly, with a smirk on his face. Severus stared at him angrily, defiantly. "Is he ready to take the mark" Voldemort asked. _

_Aarohn nodded. "Yes, Master" he said. _

_"Well, lets get on with it then." Voldemort said, impatiently. Aarohn stood up, after kissing the hem of Voldemort's robes, and then turned to his son. He pointed his wand at his son and muttered three curses. Severus was forced into a kneeling position, with his left arm held out and the sleeve rolled up to his shoulder. The last curse was the Imperious curse, which Severus was unable to throw off._

_Voldemort held out his own wand and pressed it to the pale skin of Severus' upper arm. He began to chant a string of Latin words. When he paused, Aarohn, through the Imperious curse, forced Severus into pledging his allegiance and loyalty to Voldemort. Then Voldemort continued with the spell. _

_Severus began screaming in absolute agony as the flesh of his arm was scorched, feeling as if it were melting, as the Dark Mark was imprinted into his skin, to reside there forever. Even minutes after the mark was completed, Severus was still crying out in pain._

_Finally, he lay panting on the floor, released from the restraining spells which he had been held under._

_However, there was more to come. Aarohn stalked to his son and knelt on one knee next to the panting form of the newly marked young wizard. He grasped his head and poured a potion down his throat. Severus began coughing and sputtering, trying to spit it out as it went down his throat, then immediately lost all color in his face as his eyes rolled into the back of his head and he passed out. Aarohn lifted his son's body with a levitation charm._

_Then he began waving his wand in an intricate pattern, moving quickly without hesitation to complete whatever it was he was doing. When he finally held still, there was a gold strand, looking exactly like the strand one would extract from their temple when placing a memory in a pensieve. _And it was with that thought that Harry realized what the gold strand was. It was a false memory, to be implanted into Severus' mind.

Harry quickly probed the false memory and gasped. They were going to make Severus believe he had willingly, and eagerly, joined the Death Eaters of his own volition. Harry suddenly felt himself being jerked backwards at a dizzying pace. When he was on solid ground, he was back outside the portrait of this uncovered memory.

He was breathing hard, and was beginning to feel pain in his chest. His body was starting to shut down and he was running out of time. Needing to find Severus, he continued walking down the corridor when a sad voice spoke. "I think you've walked far enough, Potter." Harry spun around to see a small-looking Severus Snape resting with his back to the wall. His eyes were dull and his face ghostly pale.

" I never knew. I can't believe I never suspected he might try something like this. I would have never joined willingly, but the memory was there. I could _feel_ the events of the memory. I can't believe it." Harry didn't know what to do, or what to say. He took a nervous step forward, aware that Severus was watching his every move.

"I'm sorry, Professor. I'm sorry Tom Riddle was ever born. That he ever had the opportunity to hurt you" he said quietly, his voice husky with emotion.

The dull eyes became confused. "Why should you be sorry? You hate me. Why should it matter to you if he hurt me or not"

Harry breathed deeply, and took a few more steps forward. "I don't hate you, Professor, I don't hate you at all. Far from it, actually. The only person I hate is Voldemort. I hate him for doing this to you. I hate your father for doing this to you. I hate seeing you hurt." At each word said, Harry stepped closer to the older man.

"I want to hurt them for what they've done to you. You mean more to me than you will ever know. I can't hate you. Even if I wanted to." His voice was very low, but he was so close to Severus, that the man had no trouble hearing him.

"Why" he asked, his voice rough and thick with the tears he was fighting.

Harry leaned closer. "Because I love you, Severus Snape." He pressed his lips gently to Severus', who gasped and felt weak. As he pressed his lips back against Harry's, the touch of someone else's warm lips against his own, the lips of someone who actually cared about him, made him lose control and he began to cry.

He wrapped his arms around Harry, who held him tightly. The moment ended cruelly though, when Harry jerked out of Severus' arms in excruciating pain. Severus' eyes widened in panic as Harry fell to the ground in agony. He was groaning and arching off the ground as wave after wave of pain washed over him, centering mostly around his heart as his body began to lose oxygen, while his heart fought to keep pumping, even as it was failing. Harry's time was almost up, and Severus grabbed the young wizard in his arms and began praying to return from the corridor to Dumbledore's office.

They began spinning wildly, and then pain seared through them both as Harry was ripped from his arms and his soul was sent crashing into his own body in the office, causing both bodies to begin to arch off the floor. However, it ended quickly for Severus whose eyes flew open. He pushed himself up and turned to a convulsing Harry. "I'll do anything -anything at all- if you come back to me NOW" he pleaded desperately. Poppy, who had been watching over the two for the last two hours jumped into action. She crossed into the crystal circle, grabbed several vials from her bag and began administering them to Harry. But after the first potion, Harry suddenly stopped moving and breathing all together.

Forty minutes later, Harry was in critical condition in the Hospital Wing. Severus was seated in a chair next to Harry's bedside, despite Pomfrey's disapproval. She insisted Severus needed to be resting, as he too had been severely drained. However, Severus paid her no mind and refused to leave his position. Eventually, Pomfrey gave up and walked away.

The Medi-witch had been able to resuscitate Harry quickly, but for the few moments Harry had been flatlined, Severus had been terrified. His heart was still overly jumpy, and his pulse still racing. His mind was in a state of confusion and uncertainty. Harry had risked his life to free his mind from the effects of his father's curse. But what would happen when Harry woke up? And did Harry really mean what he had said in his mind, or did he just say it in the heat of the moment? Had he felt sorry for him, or had he really felt the feelings he had put into his kisses?

Severus hoped Harry hadn't been lying to him. He didn't know what he would do. He wanted badly to believe he might have a future with Harry. But he was afraid that because of his youth, Harry was not yet ready for a serious relationship, no matter what the young man thought he felt, and Severus couldn't be a part of just a temporary fling. And what about Pansy? He had seen them in bed together. How could Harry want him, if he was apparently in a relationship with Pansy?

Severus pushed away those thoughts and forced himself to focus on the present. Harry was paler even than Severus, and he was cold to the touch despite the temperature of the room and the heavy blankets covering him. Pomfrey came out of her office quietly, but quickly. Without a word to the wreck of a man next her patient, she began checking the young man's vitals. His heart was still beating irregularly, and while she would have preferred it to be more normal by now, she was not complaining. At least his heart _was _beating.

She faced Severus. "Thank Merlin, Severus. He's going to be fine, as long as I keep watch over him. You, on the other hand, are at risk for fainting from exhaustion. You need sleep" she said with a stern, but worried motherly tone.

"I will sleep later. I can't sleep until I see for myself that he'll be alright" he said with a tired, but determined voice. Sighing, she turned and walked to her office. She could not change his mind, and she was not in the mood to exhaust herself trying.

TBC

AN: I hope you like! Thanks for sticking with the story and being patient.

The spell harry shouted was German, and translates to: _Uncover for me, that which is hurting this soul_. Iused German because I just didn't want to use Latin. Don't ask why, it's just...because-P

Thank you to my Beta for checking this chapter and for her suggestions!


	7. Awakening

Through out the evening and night, Harry's condition seesawed between stable and critical, and Poppy could not figure out why this was so.

The stress was taking its toll on Severus, who still hadn't slept. He'd finally agreed to eat something, after Poppy treated to stupify him if he didn't do _something_ to keep his strength up. Now he sat in the chair beside Harry's bed, just watching the sleeping teen. He was almost dozing when he heard the nearly indiscernable sound of the door opening, then softly closing. Soft footsteps made their way in the direction of Harry's bed as Severus silently stood up from his place and moved back into the shadows, his wand held rigid and ready by his side.

Barely breathing, he watched the curtains part, seemingly on their own. A soft rustling sound accompanied the soft footsteps. Then, a moment of silence followed by a muffled sob announced the arrival of Pany Parkinson, a silvery pool of cloth pooled at her feet. She fell into Severus chair and took Harry's hand in her own, silent tears making a wet trail down her cheeks.

"Hey, Harry, it's Pansy. . . Can you hear me? I came as soon as I could. I've been worried about you all day, no one would tell me anything until a little while ago. even now, I don't know why you're in here or what happened, but you need to get better quick, you hear? I can't survive all this by my self, you know that." Crying softly, she leaned onto the bed to hug him, her head resting on his shoulder.

Almost as soon as her head head touched his shoulder, he gave a strangled cry of pain, still unconscious. PUlling her head away quickly, as if burnt, she gazed at him, a frown on her face and her eyes darkened with concern.. She watched him for a moment, before quickly pulling the blanket down to his waist and working fast to unbotton the hospital pajama shirt. When the shirt was open, she pushed it to the side, held her wand over his skin and recited a short spell. A soft golden enveloped Harry for a moment, before receding and leaving behind a man covered in scars, bruises, cuts, and large diagonol slash wound going from his his left shoulder to his right hip. The wound was deep and bleeding, only half healed.

"Oh, gods Harry! What happened? I thought this was closed up!" Pansy muttered, distressed.

Severus could hold back no longer, and stepped forward from the shadows.

"Parkinson! What is the meaning of this?" he demanded. She jumped back in shock, turning to look at him, a -deer-caught-in-the-headlights look on her face. "P--professor! What are you doing here, sir?" she asked, her mind racing to find the perfect excuse and explanation or the wounds and her presence.

"That is none of your concern, girl. You had better explain this to me. Don't you realize this could be preventing his recovery? He's still extremely ill, and could die." He sneered, glowering at her angrily.

Tears began to fall again as she decided she had to tell. "Someone cut him with a whip, sir. We've been trying to keep in clean and bandaged. We even used a spell to help seal it, kinda like stitches. I don't know why its reopened and bleeding again!"

Severus frowned and turned on his heel, heading toward Pomfrey's office, knowing she had to be alerted immediately. She opened her door almost as soon as his fist rapped on it. He could see that she hadn't slept at all either. Her eyes were bloodshot and had heavy bags underneath. Obviously the stress and worry were getting to her as well.

"Poppy, Parkinson is here and has revealed numerous wounds on Potter's body that could be the cause of his lacking recovery. There's a quite serious chest wound that concerns me most. Its bleeding and could quite possibly be infected.."

Poppy pushed past Severus and made her way towards Harry's bed, her lips pulled down in a frown, worry evident in her eyes. Her eyes widened when she saw the gash across his chest. She immediately began to cast diagnostic spells and questionsing Pansy.

"How long has he had this chest wound?"

"Since before he was moved here, right after school let out last year."

"Why didn't either of you come to me for treatment?"

"He didn't want anyone to know. . .We thought we could fix it ourselves..." Pansy responded quietly.

"Who gave him these wounds?"

"I'm not at liberty to say." Pansy replied, her tone soft but her chin raised defiantly. She wouldn't not give away all her brothers secrets.

Poppy frowned, but did not push further. She had her suspiscions, but they could be dealt with another time. Right now, the tests were done and she turned so that she faced both Severus and Pansy. "Its become infected, nad the infection has spread to his heart. It's going to take a serious antibiotic regime to kill the infection before his heart can fully heal from todays ordeal. If this had been allowed to continue unchecked, it would have killed him within days."

Poppy wrapped a comforting arm around Pansys' shoulders, who had begun to cry when she heard that Harry could die from the infection. She gazed over the girls heat at Severus, whose features had went paler than normal at the news.

"Severus, would you please see to it that Miss Parkinson gets back to her room safely? Pansy, we will let you know if something changes, but for now you need to get some rest. You may visit tomorrow after your classes, alright?" Poppy gently nudged Pansy towards the potions master, who was anything but thrilled at having to leave Harry's bedside inorder to transfer the teens lover to her rooms, but he knew he had no choice in the matter.

Once they were out of the infirmary, Pansy spoke quietly. "I didn't know it had gotten so bad, but he won't die. He's too strong to let something like an infection kill him." Severus did not respond, but averted his eyes to glance at her. Her face was tear streaked, but her expression said she believed what she said. Severus could only hope that she was right.

When he returned to the infirmary, he stopped breifly to check on Harry before going to Poppys' office. Harry had been hooked upto several muggle-like IV's and his beated body had been rubbed down with somesort of salve that made him appear more pale than he already had been.

After lingering a moment, he made his way to the mediwitches office. He found her sitting at her desk, albows propped up on the surface while her fingers gently rubbed circles over her temples.

"What's the verdict, Poppy?"

Looking up at him, she looked decades older than she was. "That poor boy has suffered so much, Severus. It's no small wonder how he remains such a sweet boy...and yet it makes sense now why he's always been so eager to please. . ."

Severus winced, remembering the many years he had spent making Harry's life miserable, accusing him of being a spoiled, pampered prince. How wrong he had been.

"Was it his Uncle? What all did they do to him?" He asked, honestly afraid to know. However, Poppy wouldn't elaborate.

"I can't tell you, Severus. It's private medical information. And don't you try and drag it out of him. I will say this though, it's a good thing he graduates this year, because if I have anything to say about it, he won't have a family to return to."

The next two days saw huge improvements in Harry's condition. The antibiotics were working wonders. The chest wound had closed up, leaving behind only an angry red scar. Bruises had faded away almost completely, a few yellow tints of the skin were all that remained. However, many of the scars were too old to be removed by Poppy's efforts, though many had faded to a soft, silvery pink.

Those who cared about Harry were able to breathe easier, confident that a full recovery was immanent. Pansy visited everyday after classes, and at Poppy's encouragement, spoke to him, telling him all about the classes he was missing, the funny incidents of student conflicts, and teh Alan Rickman movies she had bought for him to watch once he was moved back into their rooms.

Severus visited at night, telling him about everything from classes, what he intended to do to those who had or would ever dare to try to hurt him. Told him how grateful her was, and touched, for what Harry had done for him. For risking his life and very nearly losing it, to save his. Him, who was so worthless. And how he would, if given the chance, spend a lifetime thanking him for it, and proving himself worthy opf such a sacrifice. It was not lost on Severus, how out of character this thought pattern was, and he could not find it in himselfto be upset, as he once would havae been. His feelings for the teen had been changing gradually, and this experience only opened the door and made him realize what was important, showed him truths about bopth himself and Harry that he had never known, or had indeed known and chosen to ignore. But he promised that when Harry woke up, he would make an effort to be, if nothing more, Harry's friend.

It was the afternoon of the third day, when Pansy was telling him about Charms class, that Harry woke up. It took a few minutes, starting with his fingers moving within her hand, then squeezing her hand. Then his eyelashes fluttered and slowly opened, his eyes cloudy. He blinked groggily and slowly turned his head to find the source of the warm hand holding his. Pansy's eyes were wide, her mouth open slightly in surprise. He squinted up at her, trying to see clearly. Pansy quickly reached for his glasses off the bedside stand and gave them to him. He put them on and blinked to adjust. Then he saw the tears glimmering in Pansy's eyes. He gave her a soft smile and opened his arms invitingly. She gave a choking sob and threw herself into his waiting embrace.

"I'm so sorry, Harry! Thank merlin you're awake, we've been so worried. and I almost got you killed! I didntmeanto! And nowtheyknoweverything!I didntwant to tellthem, but I had to!" she sobbed into his shoulder, soaking his shirt with tears as her words came out in a jumbled mess. Harry stroked her hair comfortingly, trying to calm her down. "Shh...it's okay, Pans, calm down. You saved my life by telling them...but who exactly does "them" refer to?" he asked, curious.

Pansy, still holding him, murmered against his shoulder. "Professor Snape and Madam Pomfrey..." She felt Harry's arms tighten around her as the information sunk in. "I shouldn't surprised. It only makes sense that he would know. After all, he was involved in all this." he sighed, shifting around to make room for Pansy to lay beside him.

"How long have I been out?" he asked her, looking up at the ceiling.

"This is the third day. We were really worried for awhile. No one knew it at first, but that cut across your chest had gotten infected, and it spread to your heart. So your heart wasn't able to handle the extra stress and kept failing. I was really scared."

Harry gave her a hug and assured her, " I'm sorry, Pansy. But everything will be fine now, I promise."

"Potter!"

Harry and pansy turned, startled, towards teh angry mediwitch standing at the foot of the bed, her hands balled into fists and resting on her hips. "And you, Parkinson! Did I not make it clear that you were to alert me the moment he woke up?" she demanded, sounding stern to mask the relief she felt.

"I'm sorry, Madam Pomfrey. I was just so excited and relieved to see him awake, I forgot everything else." Pansy told her, sounding truely contrite. Pomfrey's expression softened at the girls words. "nevermind, dear. Now lets take a look at you, Mr. Potter. how do you feel? Any pain or discomfort? she asked as she poked, prodded, and aved her wand over him. After being satisfied the only thing he felt was a little sore and stiff, she left the siblings alone and returned to her office where she promptly composed and sent a letter to Severus.

_Severus,_

_He's awake!_

_Poppy_

When Severus saw Poppy's owl fly into his classroom, his heart clenched painfully in his chest, suddenly filled with dread, knowing that the letter could contain potentially devastating information. Taking the letter from the owl, he sent a dark glare at the nosy third years watching him. "get back to work!" he barked, causing them to jump in fear and quickly turn their attention back to the pepper-up potions they were brewing.

He unfolded the letter and quickly read it. His pulse quickened and he shoved the letter into his robes pockets, rushing out the door without a word to the baffled students. The walk to the infirmary never took so long in his life, even with the many shortcuts he took in an effort to get there quicker. When he did finally arrive, he found Harry and Pansy snuggled together in the bed, discussing something in soft tones.

It didn't take long for Harry to notice him, and when that ahlf smile curved his his lips, Severus' heart started thumping almost painfully against his ribs, while his stomach fluttering with butterflies like a thirdyear school girl. Harry murmered something into Pansy's ear and she scrambled out of the bed and left, flashing her professor a shy smile on her way out. Harry sat up and shifted around, getting comfortable and motioning for Severus to come and sit down.

After taking a seat in the chair, Severus stared at Harry for a few minutes in silence. Growing warm under Severus' intense gaze, Harry broke the silence. "How are you feeling, Sir?" he asked, concerned that he might still be suffering.

"Alot better now that we know you're going to be alright." Harry smiled softly, a light blush staining his cheeks. "thank you, sir. But how do you feel? Any lasting damage from the curse?"

Severus could help the warmth growing in his chest in response to Harry's genuine concern. "I don't believe so. I have you to thank for that, for keeping me alive. Why did you do it? You're a fool! Don't you know you could have died? You very nearly did!"

"My life is not worth half what yours is, Sir. I've held a great respect for you since Summer before last. I had a vision from Voldemort one night, of a raid on a small village in Ireland. Tom had sent you into the house of a young family with orders to kill them and have some fun. He was stupid enough to leave you alone, and you instructed the wife to scream as if she were in pain, while you created some kind of amazing illusions to make it appear as if the four had been killed. You actually sent them with a portkey somewhere to safety. Tom was fooled, and you saved that family. I knew then that you were really a good man, whatever you or anyone else thought or said. So there was no question about what to do. No way could I stand by and watch you suffer if there was a way to stop it. And I'd do it again, even if it meant my life was forfiet."

Bother men were silent for a few minutes, gathering their thoughts. And in Severus' case, digesting the information he had just learned. To know that Harry held him in such high regard was astounding. But worrisome was the little regard with which Harry held for himself. And there was still one question left unanswered...

"So...You kiss everyone you respect?" he asked, one brow raised. He almost smirked at the blush that was quickly creeping up Harrys neck and face, but held himself in check.

"Ah. . .No, only those people that I care fore deeply."

"You mean, Like Miss Parkinson?"

"You mean Miss Potter, my sister? Yes, I care very deeply for her, but it would hardly be appropriate to go around kissing my sister the way I kissed you."

"You're sister? I thought she was your lov...girlfriend?" Severus asked, brows shooting up in surprise.

Chuckling, Harry explained. "Girlfriend? No, definitly not. Not only would it make no sense for Dumbledore to let two straight, hormal teens live alone together, but I am quite gay. Pansy is my sister now, both spiritually and legally. I adopted her as my sister over her birthday. She's a Potter now."

Severus was amazed, bot to mention incredibly relieved. Maybe there really was a real chance for them after all. . .

They spent the next few hours discussing what they had missed while Harry was ill, and talking about how angry Voldemort would be when he found out Severus was still alive. They talked long into the wee hours of the morning, until Poppy threatened to keep Harry in the hospital wing until graduation if they didn't both get some rest.

Each man fell into a deep slumber, dreaming of the other.

TBC

A/N: Yes, This really was an update! It wasn't imagined! And Yes! The next chapter will be up soon! Woot! You see, it was all part of my master plan...make you wait four years for the update, get you hyped up and hanging on the edge of your seats...did it work? Huh? did it? Yes! Victory is mine! heh....Seriously, sorry it took so long;)


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